The Martyrs of la Florida

“Nevertheless, our labor has not been in vain. A large part of the work has been done, especially the foundation built, and time, I am sure, will bring the glory we seek. If the result doesn’t come while we are still on earth, there may be an added joy and interest in watching the mortals work out an answer to the problem from the blissful skies above.”

—Bishop John Mark Gannon, in a Christmas card in 1941, shortly after he had submitted to Rome materials for the beatification of the Martyrs of the United States.
 

     In recent years the Committee for the Cause of the Beatification of the Martyrs of La Florida has been working to fulfill Bishop Gannon’s prophecy.  A significant step was taken on October 12, 2015, when Bishop Gregory L. Parkes formally opened the beatification cause at an outdoor Mass in Tallahassee.
     Since that time, members of the Historical Commission have been extensively researching numerous individuals from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries who are reported to have died for the faith within the land that was once known as La Florida. These investigations have taken members of the Historical Commission to archives in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Louisiana, as well as Cuba, Mexico, Spain, and Rome. In keeping with the Church’s prudent requirements, the Historical Commission has rigorously examined each and every report of martyrdom in order to assess its accuracy and credibility. Of the many accounts of martyrdom that have been studied, several have been determined to be reliable enough to submit to the scrutiny of the Church, while others that are not as well attested have been deemed to require further study and verification.
     On February 14, 2022 Bishop William A. Wack of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee submitted to Rome a list of those individuals for whom credible evidence of martyrdom exists. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints has received this list, and we are awaiting further direction from them.

The individuals on this list are:

1)Fr. Diego de Tolosa, O.P. (early June, 1549)
2) Br. Fuentes, O.P. (early June, 1549)
3) Fr. Luis de Cáncer, O.P. (June 26, 1549)
     Fr. Cáncer, a native of Barbastro, in the Kingdom of Aragón, joined the Dominican order and spent many years ministering in the Caribbean and Central America. Having heard reports of unsuccessful Spanish missions to Florida and having encountered native Floridians who had been dispossessed as a result of Spanish activity there, Fr. Cáncer and his fellow Dominican Fr. Gregorio de Beteta resolved to “plant the Gospel in the land of Florida.”
     In the late spring of 1549 Fr. Cáncer and Fr. Beteta left Veracruz on the Santa María de la Encina bound for Havana and then Florida. With them were the Dominican priests Juan Garcia and Diego de Tolosa and a lay brother named Fuentes. Once in Havana the missionaries received further supplies, and they were also joined by a Christian Indian named Magdalena (or Madalena) who was to serve as their translator. Magdalena, a member of the Tocobaga tribe, had been captured by the Spanish in 1539 during the Soto expedition. On the Vigil of the Ascension (Wednesday, May 5, 1549), Fr. Cáncer’s expedition sighted the Florida coast at approximately 27º latitude, somewhere near present-day Bradenton. Initial contacts with native peoples were apparently amiable and peaceful. On one occasion Fr. Cáncer knelt in prayer with his fellow missionaries and with Magdalena, and they were joined by many Indians. Fr. Tolosa and Fuentes were apprehended and killed shortly after they opted, against Fr. Cáncer’s judgment, to separate themselves from the rest of the missionary party and travel on foot to their destined port. Their deaths were later confirmed by a Spaniard named Muñoz, who had come to Florida with the Soto expedition and who now sought refuge with the Dominicans. Some time later Fr. Cáncer went ashore and was clubbed to death after having fallen to his knees in prayer. The location of these killings was most likely present-day Safety Harbor, Florida.
     These Dominican missionaries have enjoyed a continuous fama (reputation for martyrdom) from an early date. A remarkable relic is the diary that Fr. Cáncer kept in his own hand, which was completed by Fr. Beteta, an eyewitness to his death.

4) Fr. Pedro Martínez, S.J. (between September 28 and October 6, 1566)

     Fr. Pedro Martínez, a native of Teruel in Aragón, was appointed Superior of the first band of Jesuits bound for Florida, who departed Spain in June of 1566. With him were two fellow Jesuits, Fr. Juan Rogel and Br. Francisco Villareal. When their ship was near the coast of Florida, Fr. Martínez volunteered to take a small party ashore in a smaller boat in order to seek directions and supplies. On September 14, 1566 they made landfall, perhaps on Cumberland Island. As they traveled through native villages they were well received until they entered a region under the control of Saturiba, who was partial to the Huguenots. Near present-day Mount Cornelia, on the eastern outskirts of Jacksonville, Fr. Martínez’s companions went ashore in
search of fish, leaving him and the remaining crew in their boat, which was soon surrounded. Not availing himself of an opportunity to escape, Fr. Martínez was eventually pulled from the boat, dragged ashore, and beaten to death. He has long been regarded as the proto-Jesuit martyr of the Americas.

5) Father Luis Francisco de Quirós, S.J. (February 4, 1571)
6) Brother Gabriel de Solís, S.J. (February 4, 1571)
7) Brother Juan Bautista Méndez, S.J. (February 4 or 5, 1571)
8) Father Juan Bautista de Segura, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571)
9) Brother Pedro de Linares, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571)
10) Brother Sancho Cevallos, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571)
11) Brother Gabriel Gómez, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571)

12) Brother Cristóbal Redondo, S.J. (February 9 or 10, 1571)

     These eight Jesuit missionaries were killed in February 1571 in present-day Virginia, which at the time was claimed by the Spanish and was part of La Florida. In the summer of 1570, frustrated with the slow progress of evangelization in the Spanish forts ringing the peninsula of Florida, Fr. Juan Bautista de Segura, a native of Toledo,
opted to undertake a mission far to the north to a region known as Ajacán. Apart from the long- standing Spanish interest in this region, Fr. Segura was attracted to this location by an Indian named Paquiquineo, a native of Ajacán, who had received baptism while in Mexico City, having taken the name Luis, and was now offering to assist the Spanish in the conversion of his tribe. The eight Jesuits, accompanied by a young altar-server named Alonso Olmos, the son of settlers of Santa Elena, arrived in Ajacán in early September 1570. Paquiquineo/Don Luis remained with the Jesuits for only a few days; he soon returned to live with his tribe, and he rejected more than one entreaty by the Jesuits to return. Five months later he and some companions attacked the Jesuits on two separate occasions, killing them all. Only Alonso survived. These eight Jesuits have enjoyed a reputation for martyrdom from an early date.

13–15) three Franciscan friars (February 14, 1647)
16) Lt. Gov. Claudio Luis de Florencia (February 14, 1647)
17) Juana de Leiva y Arteaga, the wife of the Lt. Gov. (February 14, 1647)
18) Antonia de Florencia, teenaged daughter of Florencias (February 14, 1647)
19) Maria de Florencia, married daughter of Florencias (February 14, 1647)
20) unborn child of Maria (February 14, 1647)
21) young son of Maria (February 14, 1647)

     At least as early as 1607 it was reported that several villages in Apalachee—the region of northern Florida between the Aucilla and Ochlockonee Rivers—were requesting friars, but it was not until 1633 that the Spanish established a permanent missionary presence there. Initial reports indicated widespread conversions to Christianity, and by 1647 eight native chiefs (out of more than forty) had converted and had permitted the establishment of doctrinas in their villages. But in early 1647 Apalachee was the scene of a brutal uprising.
The planned revolt began on the evening of February 14 in the newly-established mission of San Antonio de Bacuqua, where a large crowd, including the Florencia family, had assembled to celebrate the following day’s feast of the translation of the relics of St. Anthony. Five friars managed to escape with the help of Christian natives. Six Spanish soldiers also survived because they were at Governor Ruíz’s wheat farm at the time. But three friars were killed, as were the Lieutenant Governor and several members of his family. Seven of the eight churches in the region were burned. Regrettably, few of the names of those who were killed have survived. In addition to Ensign Claudio Luís de Florencia (b. 1597), who had been appointed Lieutenant Governor of Apalachee in April 1645, and his wife Juana de Leiva y Arteaga (b. 1598), we only know the names of two of their daughters: Antonia (b. 1632) and Maria (b. 1628). We know, however, that Maria’s infant son was killed, and we also know that her unborn child was killed, brutally cut from her womb. We also know that Antonia was particularly courageous and demonstrative in her testimony of faith. In retaliation for her proclamation of the “Law of God,” she was tied to a pillar of the bell tower of the church and her breasts and tongue were cut off. The bodies of the slain were tossed into a lake. They were discovered once the rebellion had been put down.

22) Fray Luis Sánchez y Pacheco, O.F.M. (October 29, 1696)
23) sacristan (October 29, 1696)
24) young Indian cacique (October 29, 1696)

     Fr. Luis Sánchez, a native of Havana, was killed on October 29, 1696 in Jororo Province, which is located in central Florida, south of Orlando. Also killed with him were a sacristan and a young Indian chief from Aypaja. Evidence of this event comes not only from Spanish sources but also from the journal of Jonathan Dickinson, a Quaker merchant who was shipwrecked off Jupiter Inlet in September of that year.

     Antonio Inija, Cuipa Feliciano, Cui Domingo, and Fray Juan Parga Araujo were martyred in the aftermath of the English and Creek attack on the Ayubale mission in January 1704.
     Antonio was an Inija (second in command) of the mission of San Luis de Talimali, the largest Apalachee mission in La Florida, with a population of approximately 8,000 Christian natives, among whom were Cuipa Feliciano and Cui Domingo. San Luis was located on the site of modern-day Tallahassee.
     On January 25, 1704, the English from the Carolinas led an attack on the mission village of La Concepcion de Ayubale, approximately 30 miles east of Tallahassee in modern-day Jefferson County. A group of Spanish soldiers and Apalachee natives, including Antonio Inija, Cuipa Feliciano, and Cui Domingo, left San Luis to aid the embattled villagers of Ayubale. The San Luis men rested off El Camino Real at the mission of San Pedro y Pablo de Patale, located about halfway between the missions of San Luis and Ayubale. The Franciscan Juan Parga Araujo, from the Province of Santiago in Galicia, was the priest and teacher at the Patale mission. Known as a preacher of great zeal who was fluent in the Apalachee language, he administered the sacraments and preached a lengthy sermon to the men from San Luis, anticipating the ensuing martyrdom. Despite multiple attempts to dissuade him, Fr. Parga insisted on accompanying the force to Ayubale. On January 26, the expedition met the larger English and Creek force at Ayubale and was defeated. Fr. Parga was killed on the road near Ayubale, and his severed head was brought to the council house. His body was found in a canebrake and was buried at the nearby mission of Ivitachuco at the request of Fray Juan de Villalva, the priest there. Antonio Inija, Cuipa Feliciano, and Cui Domingo were among those captured. Their
English and Creek captors tied them to stakes and lit fires at their feet. Despite this torture, these Catholic natives encouraged each other and attempted to evangelize their tormentors.
     After suffering from dawn until dusk, Antonio received a great gift: the Blessed Mother appeared to him. Antonio declared that the Most Holy Virgin was helping him to endure his martyrdom. The extraordinary faith and holy death of these Florida natives captured the admiration of the Spanish King, Philip V, who directed his ambassador in Rome to inform the Pope of this event.

29) Fray Manuel de Mendoza, O.F.M. (June 23, 1704)
30) Sacristan
31–32) two-year old Native American and Native American woman of Patale

     Fray Manuel de Mendoza, a native of the Castilian town of Medina de Rioseco, served for 26 years in the Florida missions. Known for his generosity to the poor, Fr. Mendoza succeeded Fr. Parga at Mission Patale. Five months after the carnage in January 1704, the English renewed their attacks on the Florida missions. After celebrating the vigil Mass for the feast of St. John the Baptist on June 23, 1704, Fr. Mendoza was shot and burned after he was lured out of his convent. Fr. Mendoza’s sacristan was also killed, and the convent was burned.

33) Balthasar Francisco (July 4, 1704)
34) Don Pedro Marmolejo (July 4, 1704)
35–49) 15 Apalachee Indians (July 4, 1704)

     These Spanish soldiers and Native Americans were tortured and crucified on July 4, 1704 a half league west of Mission Patale following the battle that marked the end of the Catholic missions in Apalachee. The English and their Creek allies tied fifteen faithful Apalachee men and two Spanish soldiers to the outdoor Stations of the Cross surrounding the plaza in Patale. They set fires at the foot of these crosses, slashed their captives, and put burning splinters in their wounds. Despite his intense suffering, Baltasar Francisco preached from the cross and called upon the Virgin Mary, confident that she would carry him to God.

50) Timucuan Cacique of San Pedro (August 1704)
51) Timucuan Cacique of San Mateo (August 1704)
     Following the devastation in Apalachee, English-allied Indians continued to attack the remaining missions in northern Florida. In August of 1704, the Timucuan villages of San Pedro and San Mateo were destroyed and their caciques (leaders) burned.

52) Fray Agustín Ponce de León, O.F.M. (September 3, 1705)

     Fr. Agustín Ponce de León, O.F.M., a native of St. Augustine, had gone with Capt. Joseph Begambre in pursuit of some Native Americans who had taken numerous prisoners—women and children—from the town over which Fr. Agustín had care. During a battle at dawn on September 3, Fr. Agustín distinguished himself by encouraging the Spanish and Native Americans and by administering the sacrament of penance to the wounded. Like a “good pastor he gave up his soul in defense of his sheep and the children of his doctrina,” but he managed to bring about the release of the majority of the prisoners.

 53) Fray Domingo Criado, O.F.M. (1705)
     Fray Domingo Criado, O.F.M., from the Province of Santiago (Spain) was captured from his village, which was located some ten or twelve leagues from St. Augustine, and imprisoned. According to reports from some Christian Native Americans who escaped, Fray Domingo was reduced to slavery and died some months later.

54–55) Don Patricio and his wife (Spring 1706)

     Don Patricio de Hinachuba, a well-educated native of Ivitachuco, a town in Apalachee Province, was known as the “penpal” of the King due to his correspondence seeking justice for the Apalachee people. In the aftermath of the English devastation of Apalachee in 1704 Don Patricio and an Apalachee remnant moved east and settled first in Abosaya, near present-day Gainesville, and then on the southern outskirts of St. Augustine. He was killed in the spring of 1706 by a band of Creek warriors seeking to destroy the remaining Apalachee Christians.

56) Fr. Phelipe Orbalaes y Abreo (August 26, 1712)
     Fr. Orbalaes, a barber-surgeon of the Order of San Juan de Dios, was killed on August 26, 1712 when three hundred Creek warriors ambushed forty Spanish soldiers commanded by Capt. Pedro de Bilbao within sight of the fort at Santa María de Galve (Pensacola). Three soldiers were killed along with Fr. Orbalaes, and several Spaniards were captured, including Fr. Tiburcio de Osorio.

57) Fray Tiburcio de Osorio, O.F.M. (between August 26, 1712 and July 1715)
     Tiburcio de Osorio, O.F.M., a native of Havana, was captured by the Creek on August 26, 1712. Evidence suggests that he was taken in custody to the homeland of the (Upper) Creeks, which was near the present-day town of Columbus, Georgia. He was murdered while in captivity.